Case Study: Northern Rail builds emotional brand connection with CreativeRace

Northern Rail lifts creative effectiveness to 3.5 stars with CreativeRace

Northern Rail faced a significant brand perception challenge, with long-held concerns about performance and value causing customers to choose other transport modes. To reconnect with its audience, Northern Rail partnered with CreativeRace to build an emotive connection and shift these perceptions.

CreativeRace developed an integrated campaign titled “We’re Northern, Just Like You,” which reframed the brand by focusing on shared northern cultural truths. The solution used a new photography style and illustrative components across TV, OOH, radio, and paid social media. The campaign achieved a System1 rating of 3.5 stars, outperforming the travel category average and marking a significant uplift from previous Northern Rail campaign scores.

Northern Rail